Accidental Blogger

During my first few months in the US, it used to take me a little extra time to sort out the dollar bills in my purse. Being used to currency notes in India and Europe that provide a different look (size, color) for different denominations, the uniform look of the US dollar took a while to get used to.  I realized with some discomfort that I could not pull out a one, five, ten or twenty with only a cursory glance into my billfold. I had to "read" the money before I handed it over to the cashier and the same care was needed when receiving change. The need to scrutinize currency during transactions continues after many years of handling US money – only I do it much faster now, having become familiar with several distinct visual markers on each denomination. But for those who are blind or severely visually impaired, the uniform size and shape (color being irrelevant in this case) of US dollars is a daily predicament. So much so that a court ruling has proclaimed the design of the American currency discriminatory.   

WASHINGTON – Close your eyes, reach into your wallet and try to distinguish between a $1 bill and a $5 bill. Impossible? It’s also discriminatory, a federal appeals court says.

Since all paper money feels pretty much the same, the government is denying blind people meaningful access to the currency, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday. The decision could force the Treasury Department to make bills of different sizes or print them with raised markings or other distinguishing features.

The American Council of the Blind sued for such changes, but the government has been fighting the case for about six years.

The U.S. acknowledges the current design hinders blind people, but it argues that they have adapted. Some rely on store clerks to help, some use credit cards and others fold certain corners to help distinguish between bills.

"I don’t think we should have to rely on people to tell us what our money is," said Mitch Pomerantz, the Council of the Blind president. …

The court ruled 2-1 that such adaptations were insufficient under the Rehabilitation Act. The government might as well argue that there’s no need to make buildings accessible to wheelchairs because handicapped people can crawl on all fours or ask passers-by for help, the court said.

"Even the most searching tactile examination will reveal no difference between a $100 bill and a $1 bill. The secretary has identified no reason that requires paper currency to be uniform to the touch," Judge Judith W. Rogers wrote for the majority.

Courts don’t decide how to design currency. That’s up to the Treasury Department, and the ruling forces the department to address what the court called a discriminatory problem.

That could still take years. But since blindness becomes more common with age, people in their 30s and 40s should know that, when they get older, "they will be able to identify their $1 bills from their fives, tens and twenties," said Pomerantz, of the Council of the Blind.

Redesigned bills could also mean more job opportunities, since employers often hesitate to hire blind workers for jobs handling money, said Charlson, of the Perkins School for the Blind.

"When there are so few things in your life that you’ve got total control over, being able to even take care of your own money is such a big step, without requiring someone to tell you whether you’ve got enough money to go out and get a beer or have a hamburger," she said.

The government could ask for a rehearing by the full appeals court or challenge the decision to the Supreme Court.

Australian and Indian currency bills pictured below: